Imagination is the key (stefan, Damon love triangle)

Chapter Eighty-Six

He looked around to make sure that no one was watching.

"I don't know what you're looking for, no one else is here," I said.

"Hey! It's not your job on the line if you get caught with the drink, is it?"

I rolled my eyes, but he did have a point, so I shut my mouth and waited patiently.

"Speaking of," Jeremy said, "Where is everyone?"

I looked around and it was weirdly empty – literally no one else in the grin but the three of us. That is definitely weird.

"C'mon, Matty; what did you do now?"

He slid my drink in front of me and then put his hands up in surrender. "Not me, there were other people here before Jer walked in."

"Of course," I laughed. "It's always you."

In my pocket my phone buzzed, and I only had to have one guess on who that is. I slipped it from my pocket with one hand and lifted the glass to my lips with the other. The burn down my throat was warm and welcoming.

The door to the grill opened behind us and I nudged Jeremy. "Maybe you can't scare everybody away."

He grinned.

"Actually," a voice spoke from behind us. "He's not the one that's going to scare anyone." And before I even had the chance to turn around and look I felt the sharp tip of a needle stab into my neck. Vervain. It burned. It felt like acid coursing through my bloodstream. It wasn't the first time this had happened and I knew that it wouldn't be the last but it fucking hurt.

I reached up and snatched their wrist in my hand. I could feel how slow my movements were and I could feel them slowing down further. I was vaguely aware of Jeremy lunging for my attacker but I was too focused on the man himself. He was tall and bald, his dark skin-tone matched his dark eyes that stared at me with nothing but hatred. I didn't recongise him. Not in the slightest.

I twisted his wrist and I felt it snap in my hand. He hissed out in pain but didn't falter. My vision blurred and my limbs felt like thousands of needles were piercing them – the pins and needles made my grip on his loosen. He ripped his arm from me and then the last thing I saw was his hands coming toward either side of my face. And then blackness.

"You can't do this, she's innocent." I awoke to Matt's voice. The urgency in it had my stirring.

"What- what the fuck?" I muttered. I cricked my neck to the left and the click was satisfying.

"And you going to tell me this one is innocent too?" That voice I recognised from before. I opened my eyes and found my attacker standing in front of me. Pointing with a stake.

"Are you going to try and bargain for a vampire's life?"

I looked over and found I was the only one tied down. The ropes had obviously been soaked in Vervain and they stung like a true bitch. With every second that the ropes burned my anger flared. I'm going to kill him. Oooh, I'm going to make it fucking hurt.

"Lillie doesn't hurt people," Jeremy said. "She feeds from bags."

"Really?" The guy was disbelieving. "Either you're ignorant – which makes you as bad as the vampire itself – or you're genuinely clueless. And considering the fact that you know exactly what she is, I'm going to say you're just ignorant."